From: Interfaith Working Group
Subject: IWG Iowa State Daily Sabin/ENDA/Church and State
Date: Sat, 7 Feb 1998 23:30:21 -0500 (EST)
The following went out on IWG letterhead listing 12 congregations and
organizations and 54 clergy from 15 religious traditions. If you are in
the general Philadelphia area and represent a congregation or religious
organization or are clergy, let us know if you want to be added - all faiths
are welcome. We will also be happy to help start similar organizations in
other areas.
February 6, 1998
The Iowa State Daily
108 Hamilton Hall
Ames, IA 50011
Dear Editors:
The February 5 story regarding local reaction to the
defrocking of the Rev. Steve Sabin contained some
incorrect statements. Employment and civil rights
laws, including the proposed Employment Non-
Discrimination Act (ENDA), typically carry religious
exemptions. Opponents of ENDA who wish to engender
opposition among religious conservatives have spread
the false notion that ENDA could be used to regulate
the hiring of clergy. It was especially confusing to
see supporters of ENDA repeating this idea.
There are many activists inside the Evangelical
Lutheran Church and many other denominations who are
working to change policies to allow for the
ordination of sexual minorities, but those policies
must be changed from within, not through government
regulation, which would violate the free-exercise
clause of the First Amendment.
Sincerely,
Barbara Purdom Christopher Purdom
Interfaith Working Group Coordinators
--
Interfaith Working Group Religious organizations, congregations
iwg@libertynet.org and clergy supporting gay rights,
http://www.libertynet.org/~iwg/ reproductive freedom, and the
215-235-3050 separation of church and state.